Funky birthday greetings to Luis Gomez, infielder/utility man for the Minnesota Twins, Toronto Blue Jays and Atlanta Braves. Born in Guadalajara and raised in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Echo Park — which I am currently proud to call home — UCLA grad Gomez became the first Mexican native to be selected in MLB's amateur draft when the Twins picked him in 1974.
A classic 70s-style all-glove/no-bat infielder, the 5'9" Gomez set a MLB record in 1975 by playing in 89 straight games without collecting an extra-base hit. He did, however, place third in the AL in 1978 with 19 sacrifice hits, so it's appropriate that his 1979 Topps card captured him in mid-bunt.
He's also the first position player I ever saw pitch in a blowout.
Posted by: PepeFreeUs | 08/25/2013 at 09:46 PM